Designing for the Lifespan: ADA Workshop & EXPO

August 21 @ 11:00 am - 3:30 pm

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Join us on Tuesday, August 21st from 11:00-3:30 PM for “Designing for the Lifespan,” a jam-packed ADA workshop and EXPO with 3 HSW’s & speakers from the Lakeshore Foundation, Evan Terry Associates, and AARP!

Darrel Christenson

Over the past three decades Mr. Christenson has been professionally employed at 2 Centers for Independent Living, assisting persons with disabilities to be more independent and integrated in their community of choice, as well as advocating for a more accessible society.

For over 20 years he has been the Vice President of Community Integration for Ability360, formerly Arizona Bridge to Independent Living (ABIL). Programs under Mr. Christenson’s direction include: Information & Referral, Independent Living Skills Training, Empowering Youth with Disabilities into Adulthood, Early Intervention, Reintegration of Young Adults from Nursing Homes to Community, Community Living Options, Home Modification, Socialization through Recreation and Americans with Disabilities Act Services. Ability360 is one of the largest Centers for Independent Living nationwide with an operating budget of over $54 million this year.

On July 26, 2017 Mr. Christenson was elected Treasurer for the National Council on Independent Living’s (NCIL) Board of Directors. He had served as Board member-at-large for the previous 3 years and has served on their Housing Sub-Committee for the past 11 years which addresses national issues of increasing and promoting accessibility in all housing nationally. NCIL’s mission is to advance independent living and the rights of people with disabilities through consumer-driven advocacy and is the longest-running national cross-disability, grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities.

He is an active member of the Arizona Fair Housing Partnership, working to educate members of the housing industry on the benefits and requirements of accessible, affordable housing throughout Arizona.

Prior to his arrival in Phoenix, Arizona, Mr. Christenson had worked with the Southeastern Minnesota Center for Independent Living (SEMCIL) based in Rochester, Minnesota for the previous 11½ years. There he was responsible for opening 3 branch offices in rural counties and provided services to consumers with disabilities and communities in 11 counties. Both his life-long experiences as a person with both a physical and sensory disability and as a person with a graduate degree in Guidance & Counseling from the University of Wisconsin – Stout, have given him the experience and knowledge to assist persons with disabilities adjust to life with a disability.

Karin Korb

Karin broke her back in a gymnastics vaulting accident and is most known for her wheelchair tennis accolades. She is a 2-time Paralympian and a 10-time member of the USA World Team. She was the first person with a disability to receive a Division 1 athletic scholarship to Georgia State University to play intercollegiate wheelchair tennis and has gone on to assist other universities in creating their own wheelchair tennis programs. She was named the USA’s Junior Wheelchair Tennis World Team Cup Coach and led the top American juniors into international competition, where they are currently ranked number ONE in the world! Her induction into the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame as its youngest inductee and only person with a disability, speaks to her unyielding commitment to foster and grow the sport of tennis to all those who wish to play. She also received the coveted “Gold Brick” in front of Arthur Ashe’s Stadium in Randy Snow’s Neighborhood. When asked about this honor she simply responded with: “Well, that brick is cute and everything and an amazing gift to my heart, however, it reminds me to continue building the legacy that the infamous Randy Snow started and that requires a whole lot of love for tennis, sport and humanity.”

She served on the coveted U.S. Olympic Committee and U.S. Paralympics Athletes Advisory Council for eight years representing seven sports which included Tennis, Table Tennis, Shooting, Archery, Equestrian, Powerlifting and Canoe/Kayak. She currently serves on the City of Birmingham’s Social Justice Committee as well as the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program’s PADD (Protection and Advocacy of Persons with Developmental Disabilities) Advisory Council. She is deeply passionate about inclusion of persons with disabilities at every level of sport and life. Her career in both advocacy and policy has spanned over two decades. She has worked with Lakeshore Foundation’s Lima Fox Trot Military program since its inception and is presently their Policy and Public Affairs Coordinator. In this capacity she leads the Lakeshore Foundation’s Leadership and Mentorship Program, the Women and Girls with Disability Summit, the Durable Medical Equipment research initiative and is the coordinator for the Global Sports Mentorship Program collaborative with the University of Tennessee’s Department of Sport, Peace and Society and the U.S. State Department to name a few. Her love of humanity is often times referred to as “contagious” and her infectious enthusiasm for sport and a dignified life experience will leave you wondering: “What can I play and how can I be involved”. Korb refers to herself as a simple vehicle for service to and for others; “everything beyond that is a bonus.”

Karin holds an undergraduate degree in Public Administration from Kean University and a Masters of Sports Management from Georgia State University. She is a certified life coach with the International Coaches Federation and brings a highly diverse level of experience having worked with local, national and international clients of varying organizations to create ongoing opportunities for sports integration. Most recently, her efforts in sports diplomacy with the U.S. State Department and the International Tennis Federation Development Fund have taken her to Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, Colombia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. If she is not working on a grant submission or immersed in programming you will find her meditating at the Shambhala Center where she is always focused on deepening her practice. You can often hear her saying: “Listen people, we must also do the bicep curls for our minds!” She is currently working on her MBSR certification (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) and strongly supports integrative medicine, palliative and dignified end of life hospice care. She always has her eyes on the pulse of humanity and “how can we best represent the vision of inclusivity and most importantly, global respect.”

Scot Hollenbeck

Scot boasts over two decades as an advocate for inclusion of persons with disability in all facets of life. He is a graduate of University of Illinois (Urbana -Champaign) and one of the most highly decorated wheelchair track athletes in the history of the Paralympic movement. He is considered one of the leading experts in disability sports policy as well as access advocacy. His professional career highlights include work in real estate development with the disability and 50+ Age in Place/Visitability projects, the Universal Design Bill for the State of Georgia, national interscholastic sports access and regulation advocacy, extensive collaborations with the City of Decatur on multiple single family home access issues which included: Federal Fair Housing Regulations, safe routes to schools and the Community Center design of South Decatur. He has also spearheaded the Decatur Ethical Banking Initiative, Safe Routes to School initiative and the Farm to School Program. After over twenty years of disability advocacy, Scot changed his life focus and zeroed in on personal growth, spending more exclusive time with his family, working on holistic initiatives, and environmental sustainability. He continues to thrive with his work in real estate and regularly consults on universal design and access projects.

Jim Terry

Mr. Terry, CEO of Evan Terry Associates, P.C., joined the firm after receiving his B. S. in Architecture from the University of Southern California and his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Michigan. He has served on a variety of levels at ETA including project architect, project manager, energy specialist, project designer, contract administrator, and accessible design specialist. Mr. Terry’s architectural project experience includes corporate facilities, municipal facilities, healthcare, schools and universities, libraries, recreational facilities, shopping centers, multi‐family housing, churches and light industrial facilities. For twenty one years, he has concentrated his efforts in the area of accessible design and in particular with the Americans with Disabilities Act and various state accessibility standards’ requirements.

As a specialist in the ADA and accessible design, Mr. Terry has presented hundreds of training programs to building owners, managers, and designers and has worked with federal agencies, public entities, and private corporations nationwide including half of the twenty largest companies in the US. Mr. Terry coordinates a two day ADA seminar for design professionals with the Harvard University Office of Executive Education which he has been teaching since 1993. He has written over a dozen books on ADA Facilities Compliance with Evan Terry Associates that have sold over 150,000 copies altogether. He also led the effort in 1992 to revise the ninth edition of Architectural Graphic Standards for the American Institute of Architects to bring it up to ADA Standards. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of ADA Coordinators.

Candi Williams

Candi Williams has more than 20 years of nonprofit management and community mobilization experience with a powerful and ongoing commitment to give back to Alabama’s citizens.

Candi was appointed as State Director of AARP Alabama in January 2016 after serving as Interim State Director and Associate State Director of Outreach for the organization. She is responsible for leading the strategic direction and development of AARP’s social mission in Alabama, championing positive social change and delivering value through advocacy, information, and service.

Formerly, Candi served as Director of Affiliate Services for HandsOn Network, the volunteer-focused arm of the Points of Light Institute. In her role, Candi was responsible for supporting the success of more than 200 HandsOn Action Centers across the United States. She has a long career history in nonprofit management serving as the Executive Director of Hands On Birmingham, the Regional Director for the American Heart Association and Director of PR and Development for the West Alabama Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Candi is a graduate from the University of Alabama and remains a Tide loyalist. Throughout her career, her favorite title and position has always been Aunt to her niece and nephews.